Friday, 30 March 2012

List the songs that move your spirit, cut deep into your soul, and threaten to break your heart. No limit - top ten or less is fine.
Music is vital to my writing. It moves me and sets the scene. It’s also a
great passion in my life. I will fall in love with a song because of
the way it makes me feel. And those songs that bring me to a truly
emotional place are special.

This was actually quite a challenge for me, because I tend to block out any songs that might make me want to curl up in a ball and weep. However, I dug deep and found these little gems:
Deep and Meaningless - Rooster
Holy hell, even just the sound of this guy's voice gets me. This song was being played a lot around the time when I broke up with a guy I loved more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. Yeah, this song makes me honest too, lol. I still can't listen to it all the way through, and the break-up happened nearly seven years ago. Hmm, I hope this doesn't make me pathetic!
Everybody Hurts - REM
This is kind of a funny story, but back in 1996, the European football championships were held in the UK. I was 14 at the time, and the whole country had gone football crazy. I was into football in a big way back then, and with every round we sailed through, the more exciting it was. It was all everyone could talk about at school. We reached (I think) the semi finals, and got beaten out by Germany in a penalty shootout. The following day, the walk to school was silent. Seriously. Not a single soul said a word, we were all so upset by the outcome. Later that day, they showed highlights of the match on TV, to this song. It doesn't matter how many times I've heard it since, it always takes me back to the day our Euro '96 dream ended.
Someone Like You - Adele
I know everyone is crazy about Adele, and rightly so, she is very talented. But her music just reaches so far into my soul, I feel like she is singing about my experiences, and I hate that. I know that is what makes her so special, but I cannot bear to listen it. This song is one of her biggest offenders. The lyrics don't personally mean anything to me, but the raw emotion of it is just too painful.
Well, I am thoroughly depressed now LOL! I am going to blare out some happy music before I hop around to the other blogs!

Thursday, 29 March 2012

Not to sound like a stereotypical Brit or anything, but, how gorgeous is the weather at the moment? In the South West of England, it's like summer! I must get to the beach, just in case this week is all the summer we're going to get lol!

So, Angela Cothran re-tagged me in the Lucky 7 Meme! This is probably one of my favourite memes ever, because it gives a glimpse inside everyone's work, and I'm just nosy like that! :D The last seven lines I posted have moved due to heavily editing my WIP, so I have some new ones for you, but first, the rules:

Go to page 77 of your current MS

Go to line 7

Copy down the next
7 lines - sentences or paragraphs - and post them as they're written.
No cheating

Tag 7 authors

Let them know

Here are my 7:

"Why are you in here?" I asked.

"I just wanted to see you," Radleigh answered, with an air of smugness.
It was clear that he had the sole intention of making me flip my lid
so he could run to Richard with more tales of my incompetence. He couldn't
have chosen a better time. He had already unwittingly given me a head start.

"Well," I said, taking a deep breath, "Actually I wanted to
see you too."

He raised an eyebrow, but before he could make a lewd suggestion, I held my hands up and said,
"Don't. This is serious."

**

For those who aren't sure (because I don't know if the phrase is used in the U.S) "flip my lid" is a more creative way of saying, "lose my temper" :D

I won't be tagging anyone because I think everyone has done it already, but if not, feel free to join in!

**

Now onto blogfests! I have signed up for a whole bunch of cool bloghops lately - and because there are quite a few, I won't mention them individually, however, you can see them all in my sidebar! I hope to see some of you signing up too!

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

I am feeling a little bit sorry for myself today. I planned to have edited my WIP ready for my CPs by the end of the month. I know it's not over yet, but I am less than halfway through, and unless I give up sleeping, it's not going to happen!

In order to make this post less depressing, I am going to focus on what I HAVE achieved.

1. I have four chapters ready for critiquing that I am pretty happy with.
2. I have managed to get my overall word count down from 155,000 to a little over 116,000. I still have more to cut, but I am thrilled that I have been able to get rid of huge chunks of useless words. (Does that sound like I was a bit too brutal? LOL! I also had to resist the urge to go back and edit point 2 ...)
3. The pressure on myself has eased since my WIP is moving forwards. I don't deal well with stress, so this is a huge plus for me.
4. I have spent a lot of time engaging in conversation with other writers, and I think I have managed to soak up some useful things!

I never used to like taking small steps. By nature, I am a leaper! But when it comes to writing, there is no rushing the process. I'd rather spend a long time editing a small section well than rushing and leaving it sloppy. I'm confident that editing will become a little easier the more I do it, so I am very much using this is a learning process.

Friday, 23 March 2012

I have spent most of this week trying to catch up on everything I missed while I was in London with very little success!

I have put my own WIP to one side to work on some of the awesome stories my CPs are writing. I get a huge buzz out of reading potential publishings by my friends, and it's nice to know that my (limited) knowledge is helping others!

At the end of last week, I posted my 100 Followers giveaway, to win a Pandora style bracelet, custom made by me! I am pleased to say the winner is ... McKenzie McCann! Please email me at kyralennon(at)gmail(dot)com so we can discuss sizes and colours for your prize!

Also, many of you were asking how to get one of my Pandora style bracelets - but I don't have a website at the moment because I sell mostly to people in my local area. However, if you would be interested in purchasing one, please feel free to email me on the address above and I can give you a brief rundown of prices,colours, styles etc!

I promise there will be no more pimping of my jewellery after today! :p

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

London was fantastic, I only wish we'd been able to stay a few more days to really enjoy it! The reason for the trip was to see a charity gig by Russell Howard (British comedian) because I love him, and it was a great excuse to go to London! It kind of turned out a bit weirder than I was expecting though, because it was not just a Russell Howard gig. There was an enormous buzz in the theatre, and everyone seemed to be under the same impression that we would get an hour or two of his awesome stand-up routine. Ha. There were four other comedians on the bill, who each performed a twenty minute set, before Russell Howard appeared, and his set was also only twenty minutes long!

All in all, the show was great, BUT I didn't buy the tickets to see a bunch of other comedians, so it was kind of disappointing that we didn't get to see more of the person we paid to see. :(

Yesterday, we spent the day mostly in Covent Garden. It is absolutely made of awesome! It's full of quirky little shops and cafes, and I discovered the coolest shop EVER! Collectif is full of vintage clothing, mostly from the 50s era. It's like stepping into a time machine! The best thing about it is that the prices are incredible. I was expecting every item to be over the £100 mark, but mostly they were around £50, and some were even less. I have to go back there one day and have a longer look around!

So, now I am home again and it's back to work! I suspect that I will be spending most of the week writing articles instead of working on my WIP, but that's okay. A break will probably be a good thing. My bank balance is still screaming from my two days in London, so earning money is definitely what I need to do at the moment!

Friday, 16 March 2012

I promised a giveaway for reaching 100 followers, so it's time to present it to you! :D Thanks to everyone who followed me and hasn't left yet - much appreciated lol!

So, it was hard to decide what to give away because everyone usually does books or gift vouchers, and while I love those prizes, I thought it might be fun to try something different. Sure, it might be a complete failure, but I've never been one for completely sticking with tradition!

Aside from writing, another one of my passions is jewellery making. It started off as a hobby, but as it turns out, I'm pretty good at it and it's proved very popular with my friends, and my friends' friends and ... well you get the idea. To celebrate all of you awesome people - I decided that I will give away one Pandora style bracelet in a colour and size of your choice (we can discuss them when the winner is chosen). If you aren't familiar with Pandora style bracelets, here are a couple of examples of some I've already made.

These are some of the first ones I made, so I am a little more creative with them now, but this is just to give you an idea. I know this contest kind of rules out my male followers, but if you're a guy who has a special lady in his life, she might like one of these custom made for her! If not, we can sort out an alternate prize for the boys! :D

All you have to do to win, is follow me, and leave a comment saying you'd like to be entered in the draw before Monday 19th March! Simples!

Monday, 12 March 2012

However, I come bearing good news! After the awesomeness that was WIP: The Movie blogfest on Friday, I can now announce my winner! I just want to say thank you to Rachel for co-hosting, and to everyone who joined in. I saw some epic looking movies and I look forward to reading the novels in the future!

That said, onto the person who will receive a paperback copy of Water For Elephants OR Bridget Jones' Diary!

My winner is *dun dun dun* ... Jaycee DeLorenzo!

Congratulations to you! Please email me on: kyralennon(at)gmail(dot)com and let me know which book you'd like, and your postal address so I can send it to you! :D

Don't forget to check Rachel's blog later, where she will announce her winner!

Friday, 9 March 2012

I can't even tell you have excited I have been about this! It's early, so I have only got round to a few entries so far, but I am having a blast reading them all! Thanks to all who have participated, and of course, to my awesome co-host, Rachel!

It's time for me to introduce you to the characters from my - as yet untitled - WIP. When I first started this blog, my WIP was different, so this might confuse some of you (sorry about that!).

This is Leah Walker, my MC. Technically, she is a little young, but she looks perfect! Leah is a physiotherapist for an American soccer team, but she is actually an English girl with a, let's say, colourful past.

Radleigh McCoy is the ridiculously good-looking, not to mention exceptionally arrogant soccer player who challenges Leah in every way possible.

This is Freya Phillips. Freya is Leah's best friend and roommate. She works as a coach for the soccer team, and she is both very kind, and totally wild!

This is Will Carter, another of the team coaches. Will has a very obvious thing for Freya, but ... unfortunately, his brain doesn't realise it for a very long time lol!

Bree Collinson. Bree is the wife of one of the soccer players, and another of Leah's close friends. She is sexy and ditzy, but there is slightly more to her than meets the eye.

My soundtrack list for this story is freakishly long, so I decided I would just pick one song. It's a song that describes Leah's backstory very well, and hopefully it gives a little insight into who she is.

Hope you are all enjoying this casturbation (LOL that word is so wrong!) blogfest! Don't forget to hop over to check out the other entries!

Thursday, 8 March 2012

Thanks to everyone who commented on my IWSG post yesterday. You all had great points, and got me thinking about different ways to tackle the issue of what might be missing from my writing.

I was so inspired, I decided to get some more editing done this morning - with huge motivation from Clare - thanks chick! <3

My WIP now has two full chapters that don't make me gag when reading them, so I'm gonna call that progress! While I was working, something new occurred to me. Once I am done editing, I am one step closer to my goal of publishing. The thought stopped me in my tracks.

Me? Published? Really?? And just who do I think I am?!

I believe that evil thought process is probably what has been slowing me down. So I shouted at it. (Not literally, my mother is in the house, and I didn't want to scare her!) As a direct result of me telling the evil voice to go away, I got a lot of work done. I should be freelancing this afternoon, but as I have nothing urgent due, I am going to keep editing so I don't lost momentum, or let my doubts creep back in.

Guess what day it is tomorrow?? It's WIP:The Movie day! I don't think I could be more excited about this lol! Thanks to all of you who have signed up - there is still time! I cannot wait to see who you have all picked for your characters, and the soundtrack music you have chosen!

Also, I finally reached - and surpassed - 100 followers! I promised a giveaway, and there will be one but it will probably happen next week, once the bloghop is over!

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

It's time for my first IWSG post! If you haven't heard of it before, it's a bloghop hosted by Alex Cavanaugh, which allows writers to vent about things are troubling us, and to support others who are struggling! There is a link in my sidebar, so if you scroll down, click on the IWSG image, and it will take you to all the details!

My insecurity at the moment has to do with a lack of ... something ... in my writing. People who have read my work often comment on how real my characters feel, and how the emotion shines through, and that makes me happy. My writing is usually character-centric, so I guess I am doing that part right.

However, I am editing my WIP at the moment, and there are places where I feel that something is missing. I recently discovered (and I don't know if this is true for everyone, or just me) that if I am struggling to write a scene, it's because it probably doesn't need to be included. But some of the scenes I have are necessary, but there is still a nagging in my brain telling me there needs to be more.

More WHAT??

I know that I will need help from my CPs to find out what is lacking - and I am exceptionally grateful to have them - but it makes me feel lame for not being able to figure it out for myself.

Monday, 5 March 2012

Lol, I know I sound like a kiss-ass, but Jolene single-handedly restored my faith in fiction. Just a few days ago, I was talking to Clare about how disheartened I was getting about reading published books that had a lack of compelling story, or characters that were hard to relate to. It was making me feel like I was striving to be the best I could be in a world filled with stories that just weren't doing it for me. I also wondered if perhaps I have just become terribly hard to please,after all, the last book that excited me was Harry Potter, and that was a pretty long time ago! Jolene's epic writing skill made me see that I have a long way to go, but if I can develop characters even half as well, I will be on the right track!

But then I picked up Night Sky. This is a YA story that has characters you can't help but fall in love with. Jameson is a dream, and even though I have (obviously! :p ) never been an 18 year old boy, I could still understand the challenges he was going through, and feel his joy and pain with him. I simply cannot express strongly enough how much everyone needs to read this book - you won't regret it!

And now for something else which is totally awesome! I am almost at 100 followers! It totally blows my mind that there are almost 100 people who are interested in the things I have to say lol. I will think about doing some kind of giveaway when (if)I get there! :D

Next up, I was tagged in the Lucky 7 meme by Jaycee DeLorenzo (another blogger with an awesome name!) Here are the rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS.

2. Go to line 7.

3. Copy down the next 7 lines - sentences or paragraphs - and post them as they're written. No cheating.

4. Tag 7 authors.

5. Let them know.

(Before I post, I must say that my WIP is not quite complete yet, so what is page 77 right now, might not always be page 77 lol)

Just one second ago, he’d been suggesting we should keep away from each other,
the next he was inviting me to spend a couple of days with him Whether he was
serious or not, those two ideas most definitely contradicted each other.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his grin completely erasing any hint of genuineness from
his words, “You’re standing in front of me wearing almost nothing, I couldn’t
help myself.”

“Try,” I told him, coldly, wishing that we were having this conversation
anywhere but in a swimming pool. Somewhere where I could be fully dressed, so
his eyes couldn’t drift over my body making me feel both uncomfortable and
aroused at the same time.

“This is why we need a break,” he said, then confidently added, “When I get
back, you’ll wish I’d never gone away.”

**If it's okay, I am not going to tag 7 people, just because I'm not sure who has already been tagged, but please feel free to join on this one because it's a LOT of fun!

You didn't think you were going to get a whole post without a blogfest mention, did you? :p Haha, the WIP: The Movie bloghop is on FRIDAY, so there is still plenty of time to sign up if you want to join in. Click here to sign up!

Friday, 2 March 2012

So, yesterday I wrote a REALLY long blog post giving out the Sunshine Award which I received from Tobi Summers and McKenzie McCann. When I woke up this morning, the post had vanished. This makes for a very unhappy Kyra!

Even though my post disappeared somewhere in cyberspace, I wanted to show it off again! As it happens, I got given the award again, plus another award by the lovely Cassie (thank you!), so what I'm going to do is give both awards out now, just in case you missed them yesterday!

Accepting the Sunshine Award means you have to answer the following questions:

Favorite Color?

Favorite Animal? .

Favorite Number?

Favorite (non-alcoholic) drink?

Facebook or Twitter?

My passion?

Getting or Giving presents?

Favorite pattern?

Favorite day of the week?

Favorite flower?

Apologies if you missed my answers - I hate re-creating things! :p

The other award I received was this:

I really like this one a lot! :D So I am now going to pass BOTH awards on to the following people:

I also gave a reminder about the WIP: The Movie blogfest, which is just a week away! More details can be found here.

Finally, I remembered the thing I was supposed to share yesterday. My goal for March. It's pretty simple (well, in theory lol!). I want to finish editing my WIP, ready to share with my CP. It's going slowly, and giving myself a deadline should help a lot!

I am very confused. Is it normal for an entire blog post to disappear? The post I made yesterday to give out blog awards has mysteriously vanished....and blogger often eats my comments too. Has this happened to anyone else?